Although Bob Lorimer put his toe into the waters of junior hockey in Ontario with the Aurora Tigers, he pulled it out quickly in favour of a scholarship to play hockey for the Michigan Tech Huskies of the WCHA. He did so for four seasons between 1971 and 1975. During that time, he was drafted by the New York Islanders who filed his rights away for future reference.

Lorimer completed his schooling and then turned pro with the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL in 1975-76. Over the following two seasons, he caught a taste of life as an Islander but otherwise spent the majority of his time with the Fort Worth Texans of the CHL.

In 1978-79, the journeyman blueliner finally got his shot on Long Island. He quickly settled into his role as a plumber charged with staying close to his own zone while the Denis Potvins of the team performed more offensive chores.

Lorimer's timing proved to be impeccable. He had just enough time to settle in as an Islanders regular when the club's Stanley Cup pieces began to fall into place. The first championship came in 1980 with another following suit in 1981. Unfortunately for Lorimer, he was dispatched to the Colorado Rockies just halfway through the Islanders' four-Cup party.

The fall from the top of the league to the bottom, with the lowly Rockies, was a long one, but Lorimer took the transition in stride. His plus/minus rating took a beating like a marina in a hurricane. In all, he lasted for one season in Denver and then made the transition with the team to New Jersey where he toiled for an additional four campaigns before retiring in 1985-86.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

+/-

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

1970-71

Aurora Tigers

ON-Jr.B

1971-72

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

32

1

7

8

63

1972-73

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

38

2

9

11

74

1973-74

Michigan Tech Huskies

CCHA

39

3

18

21

46

1974-75

Michigan Tech Huskies

WCHA

38

10

21

31

68

1975-76

Fort Worth Texans

CHL

2

0

0

0

2

3

0

0

0

2

1975-76

Muskegon Mohawks

IHL

78

6

21

27

94

1976-77

New York Islanders

NHL

1

0

1

1

0

+1

1976-77

Fort Worth Texans

CHL

28

4

6

10

38

6

0

0

0

17

1977-78

New York Islanders

NHL

5

1

0

1

0

0

1977-78

Fort Worth Texans

CHL

71

6

13

19

81

14

1

7

8

25

1978-79

New York Islanders

NHL

67

3

18

21

42

+27

10

1

3

4

15

1979-80

New York Islanders

NHL

74

3

16

19

53

+32

21

1

3

4

41

1980-81

New York Islanders

NHL

73

1

12

13

77

+45

18

1

4

5

27

1981-82

Colorado Rockies

NHL

79

5

15

20

68

-19

1982-83

New Jersey Devils

NHL

66

3

10

13

42

-20

1983-84

New Jersey Devils

NHL

72

2

10

12

62

-28

1984-85

New Jersey Devils

NHL

46

2

6

8

35

+6

1985-86

New Jersey Devils

NHL

46

2

2

4

52

-13

NHL Totals

529

22

90

112

431

49

3

10

13

83

WCHA Second All-Star Team (1975) NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1975)